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Tuesday, August 18, 2026

08/17 Links Pt2: Ireland is green with envy against Israel; Elise Stefanik: The Hearing That Changed Everything; The Media’s Silence on Anti-Jewish Hate

From Ian:

Ireland is green with envy against Israel
So let me understand this: Britain was the enemy from whom the Irish were seeking liberation. The Irish struggled to found a republic – which they did. There were founding heroes of the state. Is this starting to ring a bell?

The British Army was the enemy of Israel during the mandate. Surely Ireland could not fail to become the natural ally of Israel?

Wasn’t Chaim Herzog raised in Dublin, serving in the Hagana and the British Army during World War II, making a close link when he became president of Israel? Has not the new president been able to forge the connection?

The answer is no.

Their relations have gone from bad to worse, and in the years since October 7, the Irish have launched a tirade of invective against the State of Israel and its leaders.

Examples: the previous president of Ireland, Michael Higgins, has slandered Israel’s actions in Gaza on every occasion. He had, of course, sprinkled terms like “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” around like confetti.

Higgins is not a very tall man – he’s only 160 centimeters tall – but each and every centimeter is carefully honed with spite and hate for the only Jewish state.

The new taoiseach (Irish prime minister), Micheal Martin, has changed the views he had when foreign minister to the usual – “genocide” and “collective punishment” – urging the European Union to take ever stronger steps against Israel.

But whilst taoiseachs, presidents, press, and TV all seem united in their prejudice, they are followed sheep-like by the public, a majority of whom support trade restrictions and full BDS.

On The Late Late Show, discussing Iran, Alan Shatter, a former justice minister, mentioned tunnels and rapes to an audience of 500. He was met with laughter and derision.

Why? In Ireland’s case, pure envy is a likely candidate. Ever since it became a member of the EU in 1973, it has had a reputation of “take, take.”

By 2010, Ireland faced financial collapse due to housing and banking bubbles. In total, they received a €67.5 billion external bailout package from the EU, including loans from other nations, like Sweden – coincidentally, another Israel-hating friend.

By contrast, it sees Israel as strong and standing on its own two feet. Ireland has seen incoming hi-tech giants from America, from whom it takes taxes. Israel leads on its own.

My in-laws are part of the dwindling Jewish community who do not know from which direction the next abuse will come, as Ireland has succeeded France as the most antisemitic country in the world. A shame, as Ireland richly deserves its romantic label.

The expression “green with envy” happens to coincide with Ireland’s national color. It is also the butt of jokes, which claim the folk from the countryside are stupid.

Both envy and stupidity recently combined when the government purchased a jet for its “high-flying” greedy representatives. So driven by envy and hatred, they removed the plane’s landing assistance for the fog because it was manufactured in Israel.

A combination of envy and stupidity motivated their actions. Mind you, even without fog, Ireland clearly has lost its way.
JPost Editorial: Mamdani fans flames of antisemitism by pairing false allyship with anti-Israel rhetoric
The cycle is repeating itself almost daily. Anti-Israel rhetoric is uttered by progressive US officials like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. An antisemitic attack takes place, and those same officials rush to condemn the attack, defend the Jewish population, and express outrage.

What duplicitous trickery, transparently cynical manipulation, and utter refusal to see the blatant cause-and-effect of the cycle is taking place on the American landscape.

The latest incident occurred Friday night when Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx, disrupted services at the famed Central Synagogue in Manhattan (which are streamed live to congregants around the world), allegedly hitting a woman, head-butting a security guard, and yelling antisemitic tropes before being escorted out of the sanctuary and arrested by the NYPD. He was later charged with six hate crimes.

Mamdani quickly responded to the attack, predictably stating that he was “horrified.”

“I can only imagine the pain and fear an attack like this, during Shabbat services, causes for the congregation and for Jewish New Yorkers across our city,” the mayor said. “Every New Yorker must be able to observe their religion without fear of violence. This despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe.”

Mamdani ignores connection between anti-Israel rhetoric, antisemitism
However, Mamdani is ignoring the clear connection between his frequent statements calling Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide” and launching a campaign to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal, which are fanning the flames that he’s trying to extinguish with his crocodile tears.

Less than a month ago, the synagogue’s senior rabbi, Angela Buchdahl, had warned Mamdani about the consequences of his anti-Israel rhetoric. In a July 23 statement addressed to the mayor, Buchdahl urged him to refrain from making statements that “demonizes Jews and the Jewish state” and “helps create the climate in which threats and violence flourish.”

Just last week, 10 New York rabbis also met Mamdani at City Hall to raise concerns about his statements about Israel and their effect on Jewish New Yorkers. The rabbis told the mayor that presenting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a simple story with Jews cast as the villain could prove dangerous.

“I told the mayor directly, the way you continue to talk about Israel endangers the Jewish community at large,” said Rabbi Rick Jacobs. “If, instead of vilifying Israel, you spoke constructively, in measured tones, that would move the needle more than anything else, and I’m hopeful you’ll use that power.”
I study antisemitism for a living: El-Sayed’s rhetoric is a case study
In an effort to facilitate his success in the upcoming November election against his Republican rival, El-Sayed sought to reassure the public and the Jewish community, whom he and many of his supporters have placed in their crosshairs for over a year, of his goodwill. The reassurance was compelled by conduct, not just his campaign rhetoric, within El-Sayed’s own political orbit.

Consider, for instance, the indictment of one of El-Sayed’s staff, who, along with seven others, stands accused by a federal jury of alleged threats and vandalism against the University of Michigan, pro-Israel organizations and their family members. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the accused “also discussed methods by which to harm the targets and their families, including poison, bombs and psychological torture.”

As FBI special agent Jennifer Runyan explained: “In the dead of night, masked and hooded defendants allegedly threw noxious chemicals through the windows of families’ homes and taped demand letters to their front doors. At every step, they attempted to cover their tracks and delete evidence of their crimes.”

When concealing Jew-hatred is no longer possible or politically preferable, there is greater candor and/or the suggestion that it does not matter. Seven months after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, El-Sayed’s most notorious supporter, Hasan Piker stated, “It doesn’t matter if rapes happened on October 7th” … “It doesn’t change the dynamic for me.” That’s because Piker admires the terrorist organization Hezbollah and its “dope flag.”

“It’s got an AK [rifle] on it and a f**king hand holding it up,” he exclaimed, podcasting beside an LGBTQ flag and wearing a T-shirt that read “show me your d**k.” It strains credulity that the provocative podcaster is oblivious to the fact that leaders of both Hezbollah and Hamas claim that homosexuals should be executed in accordance with Quranic principles. Despite posing with peace signs beside the candidate, Piker’s support for terror could not be clearer.

For those voters who continue to insist hatred of any kind is simply unacceptable comes the promise of protection against it. And, as any abused woman knows, one of the most effective ways an abuser conceals his behavior is through offering his victims protection from it.

This came to mind when I heard El-Sayed’s paternalistic statement to Jewish Americans. He declares: “My commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment I have to the safety of my own daughters.” As is common in such instances of insincerity, he never noted the role that his own rhetoric has played in fostering the fear he claims to safeguard against.

Most concerning was that, on the morning his victory was declared, El-Sayed appeared on national television and invoked the ancient blood libel against Jews by characterizing the world’s only Jewish state as having been “bloodthirsty” for decades. This libel was not a criticism of the particular policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any Israeli government, but instead a condemnation of Israel’s very existence, and thus her people and supporters.

Like those before him, the aspiring politician grasps the appeal of the blood-curdling myth. It is worth recalling that, in 1943, Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, instructed Berlin’s Chief of Police to investigate ritual murders long attributed to Jews, with the intention of disseminating the ostensible findings to the press. This strategy was aimed at promoting the narrative that would support the “evacuation” of Jews from Europe. Himmler understood that virulent Jew-hatred could be leveraged to the advantage of his movement.

That today’s aspiring politicians seem eager to do the same reveals our country is under serious threat and that unless such forces are soundly defeated, the future of substantive democracy will be bleak.


The Media’s Silence on Anti-Jewish Hate
The Media’s Response
An Attorney General being fearful of attending a party event, of any party of any state, because of fear of racist harassment should be one of the largest political and societal stories in the United States. Sadly, it has largely been ignored by some of the largest news outlets in the country.

The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Politico. None of them has run a story featuring this topic.

Why?

We can only imagine the outrage if, while Mayor, Pete Buttigieg had feared being chased through a Democratic Party event in Indiana because he’s gay, or if then Senators Obama or Rubio were afraid to attend the Illinois Democratic or Florida Republican conventions because they would have been booed off the stage or screamed at for no reason other than being black and Latino, or if Mayor Mamdani feared harassment at the New York State Democratic Convention just because he’s Muslim.

We can only imagine because these things would never happen in 2026. If they did, they would trigger a tsunami of righteous rage in every newsroom in the country, guaranteeing the story would receive front page, above-the-fold coverage in every major newspaper and dominate the home pages of CNN, Politico, The Hill, etc. for days.

Why are Jews treated differently than every other minority group today? It is easy, and lazy, to blame Israel. But Attorney General Nessel has lived her entire life in Michigan. She’s never held any public office with a foreign policy mandate, so has never cast a vote in favor of foreign aid or related to the U.S.-Israel relationship. This has nothing to do with Israel or Israeli policy.

There is no reason she feels threatened attending the convention other than the fact that she is a Jew. And, if someone wants to claim Jews should be targeted based on Israeli government actions, please ask them if they similarly target any other ethnic group based on the actions of the government of their ancestral homeland. Unless they are talking about Japanese Americans over 80 years ago, you’ll likely find this is unique to Jews.

The exclusion of someone based on race or ethnicity goes against the very ideals of the United States. Many groups have faced discrimination over the country’s long history. However, in almost every case, discrimination is lower today than it has ever been. There is only one notable exception, and it isn’t limited to politics.

Whether it’s Jewish students intimidated on campus or Jewish authors discriminated against by publishing houses, there is an effort to exclude Jews from public life.

One common thread here is that the media is not doing its job reporting on the rising level of anti-Jewish hate and exclusion. To the extent the media does cover antisemitism, it often does exactly what the Michigan Democratic Party did: insert Islamophobia into the same story to make it sound like the issue is general xenophobia or universal religious intolerance rather than reporting clearly and honestly that the problem is rising bigotry directly specifically at Jews.

The media has played an admirable and leading role in highlighting discrimination against countless other groups. That attention is one of the reasons discrimination fell – hate dies in the light. Why are the leading publications in the U.S. allowing antisemitism to flourish in the darkness? They all need to answer that question – now.
‘Surprising’ addition expected as US, Argentina work to expand adoption of IHRA in Latin America
A “surprising” country will announce in the coming weeks its adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the matter tells JNS.

That same source said that the United States is working closely with the government of Argentina to bring more Latin American countries into the IHRA fold, and that progress is expected to be made public soon.

Argentina holds the sole IHRA full member status in Latin America. Six Latin American countries have adopted the IHRA definition, with Argentina joined by Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and Uruguay.

The Latin American and Caribbean Parliament, a consultative assembly made up of national parliamentarians that represents 23 countries, has also adopted the definition.

Globally, 46 national governments have adopted the definition, along with dozens of U.S. states and more than 1,000 global entities. Just last year, 67 entities worldwide adopted the IHRA definition, a 97.1% increase from the 34 adoptions recorded the previous year, according to the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

The IHRA definition provides guidance for recognizing when criticism crosses the line into antisemitism by applying double standards, denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination or using classic antisemitic tropes.
‘I’m fine with Jews, just not Zionists’: Time to rip off the anti-Zionist mask
There’s a distinction being drawn in Western minds right now, and it’s ubiquitous: the problem isn’t Jews, we’re told – it’s Zionists. You can be philo-Semitic and still march against “Zionism.” You can love your Jewish neighbor and still chant against the Jewish state. It’s a tidy distinction. It’s also a lie.

Try it in a different register entirely: “I have nothing against Christians. I just can’t stand people who believe Jesus is the Messiah.”

That sentence is absurd on its face – believing Jesus is the Messiah isn’t an add-on to Christianity, it’s the whole religion. Object to that belief, and you haven’t found a narrow, reasonable exception to your tolerance. You’ve objected to the thing itself, wearing a mask of reasonableness.

Try the same sentence with a different word closer to home. “I’m fine with women – so long as they’re not feminists.”

Everyone recognizes that sentence instantly, because everyone understands what it actually means: a woman is acceptable as long as she knows her place and doesn’t insist on standing up for herself.

Push it further, and the mask gets thinner still: “I have nothing against women, so long as they’re not traditional feminists who want things like suffrage.” No one would say that sentence out loud and expect to be taken seriously – because everyone can hear instantly that suffrage isn’t some radical fringe demand; it’s the floor.

“Anti-Zionism” runs on the identical mechanism. Zionism is simply the belief that Jews, like every other people on Earth, have the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.

Strip the belief out, and there’s no “anti-Zionist” position left to hold – only a demand that Jews be the one people on Earth willing to give that right up.

You can take the Jew out of the Diaspora. You cannot take the Diaspora out of the Jew. That is what this argument is actually asking for.

Here’s the inconvenient number for anyone insisting this is only about Zionists, not Jews: across the most rigorous recent surveys of American Jews – Jewish Federations of North America’s 2025 study, AP-NORC’s 2026 poll – only about a third describe themselves using the word “Zionist.”

Critics have seized on that gap as proof that “Zionist” is a fringe minority position. It isn’t. The same surveys found that upwards of 88% of American Jews affirm the actual substance of Zionism, unadorned: that Jews, like other peoples, have the right to a state of their own. What’s collapsed isn’t the belief – it’s the word.

JFNA’s own research found that Jews who reject the “Zionist” label overwhelmingly do so because they’ve absorbed a redefinition of the term invented by its opponents: that “Zionist” now means “supports whatever Israel does” – a claim most self-identified Zionists themselves reject.

Strip the word back down to what it actually means, and the number of Jews who hold the belief looks nothing like a fringe. The people telling you “it’s just Zionists, not Jews” have, often without realizing it, redefined the word specifically so that the number sounds smaller than it is.

Watch what actually happens on social media, and the “just Zionists” distinction collapses further. Search any large account – not a political one, not an Israeli government account, just a public figure or organization (Jewish or not) – posting something as apolitical as “Shabbat Shalom” or a note about a Jewish holiday.

No mention of Israel. No mention of Zionism. No policy claim of any kind.

The replies fill with “Free Palestine,” with “Zionists should die,” with the same venom aimed at people who said nothing about a state, a war, or a policy – only that they’re Jewish, on a Jewish holy day.
NYC synagogue attack witness blasts New York Times as downplaying rampage
An outraged witness ripped the New York Times for downplaying Friday night’s attack on Central Synagogue, “perverting the reality that an extremely violent and frightening incident” took place inside a place of worship, and “diluting the true story and subtext.”

Harry Zimmerman fired off a lengthy Facebook screed condemning the Gray Lady’s reporting of the violent attack on the high-profile synagogue that left one congregant with gruesome wounds and a security guard assaulted.

“I saw what happened Friday night,” wrote Zimmerman, 70, who was sitting in the sixth row of the “packed” synagogue on Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street.

“I cannot emotionally consolidate … the difference between what I witnessed from a few feet away and how The New York Times decided to describe the event,” the shaken witness continued, noting that the hateful perp – Larry Montes, who reportedly seethed, “f–k the Jews” – was charged with a hate crime.

The Times article, which described the violent, unhinged attack as “interrupt[ing]” worshippers and “rattl[ing] New Yorkers,” deceptively downplayed the actual event, according to Zimmerman.

“I have heard for years that the Times is unfairly critical and biased in its coverage of Israel and issues affecting the Jewish community. People can debate that if they like. What was different this time was that I did not need anyone else’s interpretation. I was there. I saw it happen,” he wrote.

The hateful attacker “violently disrupted” the Shabbat services attended by hundreds of worshipers, according to Zimmerman, who found it “difficult to reconcile” the Times description of the unprovoked attack with the reality he saw right before him.

Zimmerman laced into the Times for whitewashing the actions of Montes, 46, whom the paper described as “agitated” and “struggled” as he “hit” 63-year-old Michele Anenbeg-Poma, who was seen with a busted lip and a bloody gash on her right forearm.

“What I witnessed was very different,” wrote Zimmerman, who described a deranged Montes as “suddenly screaming at the top of his lungs,” moving through the aisle “with his arms swinging, while congregants sat only inches away.”
Venue accepts it discriminated against Jewish comedian when it pulled show
A venue has accepted that it discriminated against a Jewish comedian when it cancelled his show at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Stand-up comic Philip Simon had been due to perform a solo show called Shall I Compere Thee In A Funny Way at the Banshee Labyrinth, on the city’s Niddry Street.

However, the venue pulled his act over what it said were his views on the conflict in Palestine.

In a statement given at the time to industry magazine Chortle, the venue said Simon had expressed views on social media and elsewhere that it said “align with the rhetoric and symbology of groups associated with humanitarian violations”.

Responding to the decision on social media, the performer said he had been cancelled “just for being Jewish”.

“The reason I was given is that my views concerning the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine… are in significant conflict with our venue’s stance against the current Israeli government’s policy and actions,” he said.

“Anyone who knows me will know I have never expressed support for anything other than freeing the hostages and finding a way to peace.

“It is sad to think that these views could conflict with anyone who wants to see a lasting peace in Israel and Gaza.”

He added: “I am still processing the concept that in 2025 I can be cancelled just for being Jewish.”

Simon took legal action against the venue, claiming it had discriminated against him on the grounds of “unlawful belief-based discrimination”.

This culminated in a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, where Simon’s lawyer, David Welsh, said “on the eve of the hearing” the venue accepted it had acted unlawfully.

The lawyer told the court: “The defender conceded that the defender discriminated against the pursuer, contrary to the provisions of the Equalities Act.”

He added: “Following the defence’s concession… the whole issue of liability has now been resolved in the pursuer’s favour.

“The pursuer has been entirely successful on the question of liability.”
Call me Back: The Hearing That Changed Everything - with Elise Stefanik
What will it take to confront antisemitism at America’s elite universities?
Dan is joined by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whose 2023 questioning of three Ivy League university presidents became a defining moment in the debate over antisemitism on college campuses. Drawing from her new book, Poisoned Ivies, Stefanik argues that the crisis reflects decades of systemic ideological bias, failed leadership and money from Arab countries buying academic influence. They discuss what it will take to confront antisemitism at America’s elite universities, and whether government intervention risks creating new problems of its own.

In this episode:
The congressional hearing that changed everything
Why did it take October 7 for Washington to act?
Her proof that Students for Justice in Palestine organization is tied to Hamas
Could government intervention make universities worse?
The universities that handled post October 7 protests right and how they did it
Should Jewish students give up on attending Ivy League schools?
Could federal funding cuts hurt American competitiveness?
How can elite universities overcome campus antisemitism?




Rick Scott: We have to ‘fight, fight fight’ antisemites running in the Republican Party
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) expressed confidence ahead of Florida’s primary elections on Tuesday that voters will reject the Republican candidates who have embraced blatantly antisemitic messages as part of their campaigns.

In an interview on Friday with Jewish Insider, the Florida senator specifically called out James Fishback, who is running against Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins (R-FL) in the gubernatorial primary to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and Dan Bilzerian, who is challenging Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) for the GOP nomination for Florida’s 6th Congressional District.

“I’m very optimistic that Byron will win the primary. He’s got to win,” Scott told JI. “We’ve got an antisemite in the race, James Fishback, and so unfortunately, we have to keep fighting this antisemitism around the country. But Byron’s running a good race. He’s worked hard.”

Scott said that he campaigned with Donalds on Thursday near Tallahassee and noted that the House lawmaker “had a big turnout and he did a great job, so we’ve just got to get people out to vote.”

Asked what he’s heard from Florida Republican voters in response to Fishback and Bilzerian’s antisemitic campaign messaging, Scott told JI, “Most people are focused on their job, their kids’ education, public safety, but when you ask about it [Fishback, Bilzerian or other fringe figures in the GOP], they’ll say it’s disgusting. They know it’s wrong.”

“Often in life, if it doesn’t impact you, you don’t think about it, so what we’ve got to say to that is: Hatred impacts all of us somehow,” the Florida senator said. “First, they’re going to attack Jews. I don’t know for what godforsaken reason people have decided it’s okay to attack Jews, but they’re not going to stop there.”

Fishback, who ran an investment firm before entering the gubernatorial race last year, has run a blatantly racist and antisemitic primary campaign. He has repeatedly taunted Donalds, who is Black, over his race, referring to him as “DEI Donalds,” nicknaming him “By’rone” and calling him a “slave” to corporations and the donor class.

As a candidate, Fishback has also defended neo-Nazi podcaster Nick Fuentes and his “groyper” movement.
House leaders issue rare bipartisan rebuke over Fla. candidate Bilzerian’s vile antisemitism
GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson and Dem Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have teamed up for a rare bipartisan rebuke of a Florida Republican pol who spewed vile antisemitic rhetoric against his primary foe.

Wannabe House member Daniel Bilzerian rolled out a disturbing ad last week attacking fellow Republican and incumbent Rep Randy Fine as a “fat Jew,” “Shylock” and “satanic whore” and suggesting whether it was worth revisiting Adolf Hitler’s “opinions.”

“The vile attack ads against Congressman Randy Fine in Florida’s 6th District are disgusting and should be condemned by all political leaders on the Right and Left,” Johnson said in a statement late Sunday. “Antisemitism and outward hatred of Jewish communities have no place in our politics or in America.”

Jeffries echoed the speaker about an hour afterward, calling Bilzerian out by name.

“The hateful campaign being run by Daniel Bilzerian in Florida is blatantly antisemitic and shocks the conscience,” Jeffries said.

“People of goodwill regardless of political affiliation must reject his vile attacks on the Jewish community. This cannot and will not stand.”

Bilzerian’s ad was only the latest sickening salvo in both sides’ scorched-earth attacks involving Israel and the Gaza war.

Fine for his part has spouted egregious Islamophobic rhetoric and seemingly implied that the Gaza Strip, home to about 2 million Palestinians, should be nuked.

Bilzerian’s ad was filled with depictions of the Israeli flag, used artificial intelligence to add some physical girth to the Sunshine State Republican and showed him hugging a bag full of cash. It also called him a “Jewish supremacist” and “Satan’s creepy little minion.

“Should we revisit that Austrian painter’s opinions?” a singer in the ad asked in footage of Hitler.


Jewish Dem congressman warns that Hasan Piker event could violate University of Washington’s Title VI obligations
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) said on Aug. 16 that far-left political streamer Hasan Piker speaking at a University of Washington event could potentially “foment harassment, discrimination or potentially violence against a class of students.”

The congressman was responding to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who has accused Israel of “genocide” and appeared to encourage UW student groups to invite Piker after the university canceled his planned January 2027 lecture. A fellow member of the House Judiciary Committee, Goldman said he supports the First Amendment but argued that the university has obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“A university has obligations under Title VI to ensure that its own sanctioned events do not create a hostile environment for any student, including Jewish students,” Goldman said.

Jayapal responded that UW has hosted speakers whose views she disagreed with, to which Goldman replied, “Did any of those previous speakers foment harassment, discrimination or potentially violence against a class of students?”

“UW students have plenty of access to Piker’s racist and anti-American views,” he added.

Goldman also cited Title VI protections against discrimination based on race, color and national origin, which federal guidance says includes discrimination against Jewish students based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics. The law requires federally funded educational institutions to respond when harassment is sufficiently serious to limit a student’s ability to participate in or benefit from an educational program.

Piker, who has also accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and described the Israel Defense Forces as a “Nazi army,” has also referred to Orthodox Jews as “inbred.”

The University of Washington said it canceled Piker’s lecture after determining that the planning process did not meet the standards required for university-hosted events. The university said it remains committed to the free exchange of ideas and plans to tighten procedures for future events.

Piker has said the university canceled the event because of his views on Israel, while UW has denied that characterization.
Community leaders condemn ABC decision to platform Hasan Piker
Jewish community leaders have condemned the ABC’s decision to interview American streamer Hasan Piker, whose record of antisemitic rhetoric and support for terrorist organisations has been documented at length by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Piker is scheduled to appear on the public broadcaster’s US politics program Planet America on Monday night, in an episode marking the show’s return after a break of several months. Presenter John Barron announced the booking on X on Friday, describing Piker as an influential and controversial commentator who would discuss the rise of Democratic socialists and the populist left.

AIJAC executive director Colin Rubenstein said the decision was deeply troubling but not surprising. “Piker has a long and documented record of deeply divisive rhetoric, including inflammatory and antisemitic comments denigrating Jews, as well as rhetoric deeply sympathetic to Hamas, and to Hezbollah,” Rubenstein said.

“He has also been dismissive of the October 7 atrocities, including denial of the mass rape and sexual violence perpetrated against Israeli women.

“This decision to platform Mr Piker only reinforces longstanding concerns about systematic bias in the ABC’s coverage of Israel and Jews — concerns the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has been examining closely. For instance, it is difficult to imagine the ABC would give a platform to a similarly extreme and divisive podcaster from the far-right.

“At a time when Australia is confronting the devastating consequences of antisemitism and extremism, at which point does the ABC stop pouring more fuel on the fire?”

Former ABC board member Joe Gersh said his disappointment with the broadcaster since October 7 had turned to outrage and, more recently, to despair. “Platforming Hasan Piker is as good example as you can find of the reason I feel the way I do,” Gersh said. “I’m certain that the majority of the Jewish community, or at least those who are persisting with the ABC despite all, feel the same way.”


MS LIMBO: Israel-Bashing MS NOW Host Ayman Mohyeldin Twists in the Wind After His Third Show Is Canceled in Four Years
MS NOW's premier anti-Israel host, Ayman Mohyeldin, is now homeless—having had three shows canceled in four years—and is only appearing occasionally on MS NOW programs as a commentator. He has also significantly dialed down his attacks on Israel and is posting little on social media for his hundreds of thousands of followers.

Mohyeldin, who regularly accused Israel of genocide on MSNBC—renamed MS NOW—has appeared on MS NOW roughly 10 times in the past six weeks since the show he cohosted, The Weekend: Primetime, was axed in late June in a cost-cutting measure and replaced with reruns of liberal podcasts.

He appears now to be in limbo at MS NOW, with no new host or even correspondent role. In announcing the cancellation, MS NOW president Rebecca Kutler wrote that Mohyeldin and two of his fellow canceled Weekend cohosts would "remain with MS NOW and continue to contribute across our programming and platforms, bringing their respected reporting and distinct analysis to our audiences."

The cancellation of Weekend comes just over a year after the network canceled Ayman, Mohyeldin's solo weekend show on MSNBC, in spring 2025. A version of Ayman that ran on NBCUniversal's streaming network, Peacock, was canceled in 2022.

The cancellation of Weekend was hailed by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting (CAMERA), which noted on June 30 that "Israel-bashing host [Ayman Mohyeldin] has now had three programs canceled during his tenure at the network. CAMERA has extensively catalogued Mohyeldin's history of biased reporting, which includes spreading the Epstein-Mossad conspiracy theory."

Throughout his tenure at NBC News, MSNBC, and now MS NOW, Mohyeldin has peddled claims that Israel is perpetrating a "genocide" in Gaza and pushed an apocryphal narrative that Israel's true war aim is to expel Palestinians from the region. In late June, a week before the sudden cancellation of Weekend, Mohyeldin badgered John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, about why he wouldn't accuse Israel of genocide.

Mohyeldin's coverage has earned plaudits from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the anti-Israel advocacy group. A CAIR official has also appeared on Mohyeldin's now-canceled show to bash Israeli "settlers" and make the distorted claim that the Jewish state had "massacred" a Palestinian American in the West Bank "with impunity."

CAMERA, by contrast, has long criticized Mohyeldin for his "consistent pattern of prioritizing advocacy over journalism." The day after Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Mohyeldin put the blame on Israel, saying, "What we're seeing today are very deadly consequences of failed policies." He added that "failure on the American administration's part to change course, to take a different course of action with how it deals with the Palestinians and the Israelis. Failure on Israel's part. Failure on the region's part to not be able to say this is an issue that matters."


Four Muslim schools probed over link to charity accused of Hamas ties
The Department for Education is reviewing concerns surrounding four Muslim independent schools run by a charity facing scrutiny over alleged links to Hamas.

Officials are assessing information about schools operated by the Al-Khair Foundation after UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) raised concerns about safeguarding, extremism and compliance with the government’s Prevent duty.

The move comes as the Charity Commission carries out a separate statutory inquiry into Al-Khair following allegations concerning its links to Hamas and the handling of charitable funds.

The four schools are Al-Khair Preparatory School and separate secondary schools for boys and girls in Croydon, as well as Al-Khair Preparatory School in Oldbury, Birmingham. Together, they educate more than 550 children.

UKLFI contacted the DfE’s Counter-Extremism Division on 10 July, submitting a report which alleged links between people associated with the foundation and Hamas.

The organisation said its investigation had identified at least two people employed by Al-Khair as alleged Hamas operatives and another employee with significant links to Hamas figures.

The DfE subsequently confirmed the case had been referred to its Counter-Extremism and Non-School Education team.

In correspondence with UKLFI on 11 August, the department said: “We are continuing to work with other government departments and agencies to assess all the information that has been provided to us and determine next steps.”

The review follows the arrest in London on 31 July of Mohammad Yousef Hasna, who had described himself on LinkedIn as Al-Khair Foundation’s global director.

US prosecutors have charged Hasna with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to finance terrorism and financing terrorism. Each charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.


Saudi Arabia excises all antisemitism from textbooks
The Saudi Arabian educational curriculum is now entirely free of antisemitic content, and promotes peace and coexistence, while openly presenting Islamic extremism as a threat, a study released on Monday found.

The continued educational reform and unequivocal signs of moderation in the kingdom come amid a push to reach a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel during the remaining years of the Trump administration and reflect the shifting alliances in the Middle East. They stand in sharp contrast with the ongoing antisemitic incitement prevalent in Palestinian Authority school textbooks.

The review published by IMPACT-se, a London-based research group and watchdog, of 136 textbooks used in the 2025-26 school year, finds continued moderation and reforms in the Saudi educational curriculum, alongside further reductions in extremist and intolerant content.

The curriculum promotes loyalty to the Saudi state and takes a decisive stance against extremism, while concomitantly moderating its treatment of Israel, the study found.

Textbooks strongly emphasize obedience to the Saudi ruler, condemn extremist organizations including ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Houthis and the Muslim Brotherhood, and portray Islamic extremism as a threat to national stability.

An 11th-grade Arabic language exercise, for example, no longer features the sentence “The Muslims will never give up Jerusalem,” a contested phrase that implied the city was under threat.

Lessons on jihad and armed conflict continue to move away from glorifying violence, reinforcing the curriculum’s broader emphasis on state authority and the protection of civilians.

A 9th-grade Islamic Studies textbook now unequivocally prohibits harming noncombatants during war, removing earlier language that allowed exceptions when deemed “necessary.”

Islamic Studies textbooks similarly present positive models of interfaith relations, including the Prophet Muhammad’s kind treatment of non-Muslims, highlighting his peace agreements with Jews, Christians and Arab tribes.

A Grade-7 textbook cited in the report no longer describes adherents of Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism as “maimed animals.”
Violence erupts outside Chabad House in Sri Lanka
A newly opened Chabad House in the South Asian country of Sri Lanka was the target of a violent demonstration on Friday night, with protesters hurling stones and firecrackers in the direction of the Jewish center and menacing Israeli travelers on the way to services, the Chabad rabbi said Sunday.

The unusual violence directed at the Chabad House in the Sri Lankan beach town of Hiriketiya, which opened its doors just two weeks ago, followed a social media campaign by a small group of locals claiming the Jewish center was illegal and that the Israeli tourists would scare international tourists away.

“The fuel here is antisemitism,” Chabad Rabbi Yossi Gabai told JNS on Sunday.

The multi-religious island nation is primarily Buddhist. Many European tourists frequent the town where the weekend violence took place.

There are five Chabad Houses across Sri Lanka for Jewish travelers, offering them kosher food, a synagogue and Shabbat meals.

Gabai said about 200 protesters turned out on Friday night, with local police being called to disperse them.

About 30 people attended the Shabbat dinner, primarily Israelis, the rabbi said.

“It was very unpleasant,” he said. “People were afraid to come.”

The demonstrators returned on Saturday night, he said.

Chabad connected with the Sri Lankan authorities and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report the incidents.
Fliers referencing ‘dirty Zionist money’ appear near NYC apartment buildings slated for redevelopment
Several fliers containing antisemitic, racist and homophobic messages have appeared around two Manhattan public-housing developments targeted for a major redevelopment project.

The posters, found near the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, include references to “dirty zionist money,” “Talmudists” and the Rothschild family and appear to be aimed at opponents of the redevelopment.

The project is a partnership between the New York City Housing Authority, Essence Development and Related Companies. It calls for replacing all 2,056 existing NYCHA apartments with new, permanently affordable homes for current residents and constructing 3,454 additional mixed-income units, including 1,038 affordable apartments.

The redevelopment plan has faced opposition from some residents and housing advocates, including over concerns about demolition, relocation and the role of private developers. A state appellate court lifted a temporary stay on the project in July, allowing work to resume.

“The antisemitic and hateful fliers that have appeared at the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses redevelopment projects are despicable and the kind of rhetoric that inflames tensions against New York’s Jewish community,” Scott Richman, regional director of ADL New York and New Jersey, told JNS. “There is no place for bigotry in legitimate debate over housing policy, and we urge the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate this incident.”

“All city leaders must speak out against such hate to send a clear message that tactics like this are unacceptable,” he said.

One denounced what it called “foreign wealth dirty zionist money,” while another warned, “Beware: Talmudists are trained to cheat.” Other posters referred to the redevelopment dispute as a “SOS NYCHA Holocaust Battle” and portrayed “Zionists,” “Rothschilds,” “Talmudists” and “foreign operatives” as being opposed to local residents.
Man stabbed caretaker in antisemitic attack then tried to bite police officer
A man who stabbed a caretaker in the back in an antisemitic attack and attempted to bite a police officer has been jailed for six years and six months.

Alfonso Pena, 52, was residing in a house of multiple occupation when he attacked the caretaker of the premises on 31 July last year, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The victim was called by another resident who claimed Pena had taken her food from their shared kitchen.

After checking CCTV footage, which showed the defendant taking the food and eating it, the victim approached him.

In response, Pena, who was heavily intoxicated, threatened the victim, asked him where he was from, and accused him of being a Jewish terrorist, before running from the address shouting further abuse, the CPS added.

He then returned and stabbed the victim in the back, between the shoulders.

Following his arrest, Pena threatened officers and attempted to bite one of them, the CPS said.

The CPS authorised charges against Pena, and he entered guilty pleas to common assault and possession of a bladed article.

He also admitted unlawfully wounding the victim but denied any intent, claiming he had been suffering a psychiatric episode at the time.


Israeli teen’s medal revoked — for wearing national flag
A brilliant 17-year-old student from Rehovot, Yotam Budnik, has had his gold medal win disqualified at the 2026 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Uzbekistan, because he draped the Israeli flag around himself as his win was announced.

Since 2024, Israel has not been allowed to compete as a national team in the computer science competition. Instead, Israeli contestants are allowed only to compete as neutral and Israel does not appear on the official results scoreboard.

As the winners were lining up on the victory podium, Budnik, the gold medal winner, draped an Israeli flag around his shoulders, aware that the win was being transmitted live on TV. Immediately afterwards the IOI leadership went into emergency session, and voted to disqualify him, wipe his score from the official global leaderboard, and revoke his winner’s certificate.

But though the organisers apparently tried to take back the gold medal itself, Budnik refused to hand it over. He told Israeli media that though his name could be removed from the rankings, his achievement could not be wiped out.

Just three weeks earlier, Budnik won a gold medal — representing Israel — at the 2026 International Mathematical Olympiad in Shanghai, where national flags were permitted.


Amar’e Stoudemire inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame
Retired American-Israeli basketball star Amar’e Stoudemire was inducted on Sunday into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, receiving the highest honor for former professional athletes in the sport.

Stoudemire, who completed his conversion to Judaism in 2020 and became an Israeli citizen in 2019, described his journey to the Israeli Basketball Premier League after a career as a six-time all-star and five-time all-NBA player in the National Basketball Association.

“At the end of it all, I wanted to go back to a place where I had a special connection,” Stoudemire told attendees at the gala in Springfield, Mass. “For 20 years prior, secretly, I was learning Torah, I was learning the Bible, the biblical understanding of history, and I wanted to go to a place where I can live and also play.”

“I took my talents overseas to Israel, and I played in Israel, and I played in Jerusalem,” he said. “I’m there with my family and now go from flying on private planes to five-star hotels to now taking a bus. Now we were playing in smaller arenas, but I was there for a deeper purpose and a reason.”

The 6’10” power forward was drafted out of high school by the Phoenix Suns with the ninth overall pick in the 2002 draft and amassed 15,994 points, 6,632 rebounds and 1,054 blocks in a 14-year NBA career in which he also played for the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

Stoudemire was raised as a Baptist, but has credited his mother’s belief that the family was descended from one of the lost tribes of Israel with helping inspire his eventual conversion to Judaism.

After finishing his NBA career with the Miami Heat, Stoudemire played from 2016 to 2019 with Hapoel Jerusalem and in 2020 with Maccabi Tel Aviv, winning the league championship in 2017 and 2020, a feat that eluded him during his time in the NBA.


She thought the Holocaust erased her family. Then a DNA test found 50 relatives
Growing up in New Zealand, Adriana Turk always thought she was the last surviving member of a family wiped out during the Holocaust. But now, she is in Israel meeting long-lost relatives for the first time, after a MyHeritage DNA test led to a surprising revelation last year.

Discovering that she has over 50 living relatives across Germany, Israel, and Brazil was “absolutely astonishing,” the 74-year-old Turk told The Times of Israel in a call from the Tel Aviv home of her newly found third cousin, Raanan Gidron. “This has been such a revelation for me.”

Turk’s father John (Hans) Turk, a German Jew who escaped Nazi Germany for New Zealand in 1937, rarely spoke about his past. After the war, he learned that his mother was murdered in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942, while his sister, her husband, and their two young children were killed at Auschwitz in 1944.

Upon arriving in New Zealand, the elder Turk worked hard to blend into his new country and kept almost no trace of the world he had fled. He changed his name from Hans to John, married a non-Jewish New Zealander, and rarely associated with Jewish institutions.

“He never spoke of it, and I never asked,” Turk said. “I just knew that his whole family — his mum, sister, brother-in-law, their children — were all murdered.”

But after her only sibling, Julian, died in Auckland in late 2024, Turk was overcome with sorrow at the realization that she was the last surviving member of her immediate family.

“I felt this hole inside me,” she said. “It was a deep sadness.”

In the months that followed, Turk decided to take a MyHeritage DNA test, hoping to better understand her European roots.

“What have I got to lose?” she recalled thinking. The results upended her world.

The test showed that Turk had dozens of matches scattered across Germany, Israel, Brazil, and beyond. She started to reach out and was eventually linked to a third cousin in Germany who knew the family history that she had never heard.

Turk learned that her great-uncle, Max Gusdorf, who was murdered in Sobibor in 1943, had three children who survived the war. One stayed in Germany. Another escaped to Brazil. The third, Hans Reuven Rudolph, later known as Reuven Gidron, made his way to what would become Israel and fought with the Palmach during Israel’s War of Independence. He also assisted Holocaust survivors and helped uncover Nazi war criminals in the postwar period.





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